vaccine toolkit C D A J O U R N A L , V O L 4 9 , Nº 7
Dentistry Takes a Shot at COVID-19 EDITOR ’S N OTE
It has been a year of challenge and change for dental professionals. CDA and the State Office of Oral Health have worked together to support dental practices and patients to deliver and receive dental care safely, to interpret guidance from authorities, to develop essential resources and to communicate using every tool at our disposal. This month’s Journal brings you one of the resources designed as a toolkit: turn-key materials published in easyto-access formats, intended for dental professionals to use in their offices and clinics. Please use and share this, and look for additional toolkits in upcoming Journal issues. This is CDA and your State Office of Oral Health working for you!
At the close of 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began issuing the first emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines. In January 2021, CDA began assembling resources to assist our member dentists with information for them, their dental team and their patients, as the swift rollout of the vaccines raised many questions for those who were considering the vaccine and eligible to receive them. CDA developed a COVID-19 vaccine toolkit to compile multiple COVID-19 vaccine resources on behalf of our members, including an overview of the vaccines and how they were developed and approved; information on vaccine distribution; employer resources; vaccine administration; registration and training; and, more recently, vaccine confidence materials to assist with addressing patient and staff hesitancy. CDA partnered with several outside sources including HealthNet to create a vaccine discussion guide and the California Department of Public Health to host a volunteer vaccinator webinar. The information provided in the toolkit in this month’s Journal is a “snapshot in time” of the resources provided over the past six months. Due to production timeframes for this publication, the information shared in this issue does not reflect the most current evidence or recommendations, as the environment surrounding COVID-19 vaccines is comparable to the virus itself — incredibly fluid and everchanging. We encourage readers to visit cda.org for the most current information and resources offered by CDA as well as the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal/OSHA, for the most current standards and recommendations.
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